Categories
The Mask

How Taking Off Your Mask Can Lead To Greater Productivity

how taking off your mask can lead to greater productivity 2012

There are many times when we hardly realize how the masks we wear could affect many significant parts of our lives, including our work productivity.  We think that by wearing a mask to the outside world, we could very well go on with our jobs,  showing off a successful image while a little vulnerable part of us hides somewhere, afraid to say something and be heard.

However, according to the book  “Career Satisfaction From Within” by Christopher Edgar, the contrary is true.  He starts by narrating part of his own experience:

“For most of my life, I felt like part of me was pushing against my efforts to accomplish my goals. Whether I was at school studying, in my office working on some document in my old job or preparing articles for publication, there was a persistent feeling that I had to drag myself kicking and screaming through my tasks. After a little while doing any structured activity, my attention would start drifting, tension would start building in my head and I’d find it increasingly difficult to get my work done. Part of me, it seemed, just didn’t want to do anything at all.”

Chris later explained what he called as “inner resistance”:

“The resistant part of me was angry because it didn’t feel it was ever accepted for who it was. It felt that the world only valued it for what it could accumulate and accomplish. Because the world had refused to unconditionally love this part of me, it didn’t want to contribute to, or do work for, the world.”

In my opinion, this “inner resistance”, and the lack or absence of “being accepted” had a lot to do with wearing a mask.  By wearing a mask that “we are ok” , “we don’t need anything” or “we’re strong” when we’re actually struggling within, craving to reveal our true selves and to be loved for who we really are, we have let our “inner resistance” grow through the years.

This inner resistance seems to be one of the reasons for our procrastination, hesitancy and lack of willingness to contribute all we can, to be productive in the truest sense of the word.

In other words, once we are able to really have the courage to face the mirror, to look at ourselves, and just give the person looking back at us all the acceptance and unconditional love that person needs, the more we’ll be able to let go of our “inner resistance”, and the more also could we start being more productive with whatever we’re doing in life.

Could you take the time today to reflect about the person behind the mask? Is he or she craving to be heard, and to be accepted for just being the person that he or she is?  We may have hidden that person unconsciously through the years, but it could be time to really set ourselves free.  We don’t need to prove ourselves to anyoneOur resume and our career achievements do not constitute our true worth. Once we understand that, we may find our inner resistance slowly slipping away.  We may discover that we really do want to contribute to society, not because that’s what’s expected of us, but because that’s what we really desire to offer to the world, being the unique and truly wonderful person that we are!

Chris by the way has a new book titled “Inner Productivity”. You can read more about it here http://innerproductivity.com/

I TAKE OFF THE MASK!

Devoid of memory and identity

I took on a mask

to cover my nakedness.

As time went on however,

I, the master became the slave,

as the mask sought to

impose upon me

things that I am really not.

Now I dare to remove it

and seek my freedom once again.

I bare my nakedness to the world

that the world may see

who I truly am,

not the mask that hides my flaws

not the mask that hides my beauty

I bask in the light

and I take off the mask!

Categories
The Mask Words of Wisdom

Your Joy Is Your Sorrow Unmasked!

your joy is your sorrow unmasked 2012

Sometimes, you could feel as though all the pain in the world is in your heart. You hurt so much that you couldn’t possibly think of any reason why you have to undergo whatever it is you are undergoing.

But take heart! Here is what Kahlil Gibran said:

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.”

The pain you have now shall one day give you joy. And more than that, it will also give joy to others because you are being strengthened in such a way as to be a blessing to those around you. You will learn what compassion really is. You will be able to give joy to others because you know how to help them rise above their pain.

Categories
happiness The Mask

Find True Happiness By Being True

I bare my nakedness
To the world,
That the world may see who I am;
Not the mask that hides my flaws,
Not the mask that hides my beauty.
I bask in the light
And I take off the mask!

You can never find true happiness until you become true to who you really are. Many people wear masks to hide even from themselves. They do not like who they are. They fool themselves into thinking they are the masks they wore. And so they try to satisfy the mask instead of satisfying their true selves.

Throw away that mask!

No matter how beautiful it is, it can never be you. It cannot give you happiness. Even if somebody learns to love your mask, you’d know that it is only the mask he loves, not the real person behind the mask.

People who are most truthful about themselves are the most happy. They accept themselves. They allow themselves to be loved for who they are.

It’s true that not everybody will love them. Others may even criticize them and reject them. But there are people who will like them. They will be able to see their true beauty. They will admire their courage for standing up for truth.

Before any acceptance or healing can take place, one must face the truth. No matter how painful, the truth must be exposed. Otherwise, people will always remain in the shadows of their masks and never get to see the Light.

This Light is freedom, not only to be yourself, but to be the BEST of who you are!

There is only one YOU. The world deserves that person. So live an AUTHENTIC LIFE!

UNIQUE

We learn to love each other when we begin to realize how truly unique and wonderful each one of us is. Like seashells along the shore, no one is entirely alike, each is crafted with an imprint of God’s hand, each has something to share, and each has something to admire and long for in another.

People often see me as a quiet person, one who rarely cracks a joke, one that can comfortably sit in a corner and have a good time reading a book or listening to good music. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t engage in good conversation. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t comfort a grieving soul. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t share the kind of happiness that comes from things the world hardly notices in its race towards unreachable dreams. I am the kind of person God has masterfully and lovingly made me to be. I am happy. I am beautiful. I am unique!

THE SMALL SEED

Let a seed
be buried deep down into the ground
deep down where there is nothing
but darkness
and the smallness of the seed,
let it wait
let it face its greatest fears
for only in being buried
can it sprout forth with new life
only in the truth of its smallness
can it realize its power
to grow
to bear fruit
and to reach the highest heavens!